Chelsea McBay
Staff Writer
After a nearly decade-long drought, Tiger Woods is king of the golfing world once again, winning his fifth Masters and 15th major on Sunday. His Masters victory comes 22 years after his first green jacket (and first major) in 1997.
Tiger was dominant all throughout the early-to-mid 2000’s, winning the Masters four times over an eight-year period. Up until 2008, it looked like he would easily cement himself as the greatest golfer of all time, and perhaps even the greatest athlete of all time.
Then 2009 hit. A bunch of drama went down about Woods, from the car crash he got himself into to the stunning news that he had cheated on his wife with a former cocktail waitress. Fans no longer looked at him the same way. Tiger fell off the pedestal. Following a DUI in 2017, his image seemed forever tarnished, and the sports world was not sure if he would ever be the same again.
Battling through loads of injuries, it looked like the peak of his career was coming to a close. He slowly fell from people’s minds as the next generation of golfers rose to stardom. And then the 2019 Masters hit last week.
It was a Sunday afternoon at Augusta. Most of the players were already in the clubhouse, but not Tiger Woods. He was out there competing for the victory. And boy, did he get it. After 5,117 agonizing days since his last Masters victory, he finally returned to glory.
Tiger is always a name to watch during the Masters, and he was near the top of the leaderboard last Thursday during the first day of play. Shooting a two-under par 70 on the first day was the kind of positive start he needed. He was tied for 11th. On Friday, he improved even more, shooting a four-under par 68, bringing his total score to six-under, which had him tied for sixth.
Saturday was the most impactful day Woods had score wise, shooting an amazing 67. This would bring his overall score to 11-under par, which was good enough to be tied for second place.
On Sunday, Tiger was all over the place. Notching four bogies and six birdies, he was able to keep steady and overcome his mistakes for a solid -2 70 day, proving good enough to win him another Masters.
Tiger made his final put on the 18th green. A wave of roars and chants of “Tiger, Tiger, Tiger” fell upon Augusta. He looked around in awe, seconds after he did his legendary fist pump. As he walked up from the green, he immediately hugs his young son, Charlie. The moment this occurred is one that will be forever captured in history. When Tiger won his first Masters in 1997, he hugged his dad immediately. Life has finally come full circle for Woods.
Tiger got his scorecard checked off, and then ventured into the next room to receive his green jacket. Along with himself, last year’s champion, Patrick Reed, was there, as well as amateur player Viktor Hovland. After chatting for awhile, Tiger finally stood up to have the jacket bestowed on him. The first thing that came out of his mouth was, “It fits.”
Tiger did not run away with the championship, however, never leading until the final day. Brooks Koepka and Bryson DeChambeau lead after Thursday. Francisco Molinari shot up the leaderboard, along with others, on the second day. Molinari stayed up top the leaderboard in possession of sole first place on Saturday.
But on Sunday, Molinari fell apart on the back nine. On the par three 12th hole, he recorded a double-bogey. Three holes later he got another double-bogey on the par five 15th, thanks to miscue shot which ended up in the water. By the 15th hole, Tiger had snagged the lead and never gave it up.
It was a wonderful tournament for both golf fans and sports fans alike. To see Tiger back to the place where fans have seen him reign so many times was great to see. Fans will have to wait in anticipation regarding what Tiger does next this season.
Categories: Sports
THE CAROLINIAN 
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